Novel Comparative Efficiency of Ozone and Gamma Sterilization on Fungal Deterioration of Archeological Painted Coffin,Saqqara Excavation,Egypt

An archeological wooden painted coffin was excavated in Tety tomb from Saqqara excavation. It belonged to the Ministry of Antiquities. This coffin was discovered in a bad state of conservation with many destroyed big and small pieces in Saqqara stores. Analyses and investigation study were performed on the ground layer of the coffin by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive X ray analysis (EDX) equipped with environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results confirmed that the degradation factors affecting the wooden painted coffin are essentially attributed to direct effects of microbial phenomena, which have lead to many deterioration forms as: macro- and microcracks, hydrated salts, flaking, coloration, scaling and defoliation microbiological spots. Nine deteriorating fungal species were isolated from the painted and ground layers of the tested coffin. Fusarium moniliforme followed by Aspergillus flavus able to significantly solublize calcium salts as major components of the ground layer of archeological wooden coffin. Effect of ozone and Gamma sterilization on growth; lipid, tryptophan oxidation and protein, nucleic acid leakage in the most dominant toxigenic deteriorated fungal species were detected. No mycelial growth was observed at 4 ppm of ozone at all exposure times. As Gamma radiation dose increased over 250 Gy, the growth parameter gradually decreased to reach the lethal dose at 2000 Gy. The production of mycotoxins by the tested toxigenic fungi was completely disappeared under the exposure to 3 ppm and 90 min to ozone.     

Characterization of the caleosin gene family in the Triticeae

Background

The caleosin genes encode proteins with a single conserved EF hand calcium-binding domain and comprise small gene families found in a wide range of plant species. Some members of the gene family have been shown to be upregulated by environmental stresses including low water availability and high salinity. Caleosin 3 from wheat has been shown to interact with the α-subunit of the heterotrimeric G proteins, and to act as a GTPase activating protein (GAP). This study characterizes the size and diversity of the gene family in wheat and related species and characterizes the differential tissue-specific expression of members of the gene family.

Results

A total of 34 gene family members that belong to eleven paralogous groups of caleosins were identified in the hexaploid bread wheat, T. aestivum. Each group was represented by three homeologous copies of the gene located on corresponding homeologous chromosomes, except the caleosin 10, which has four gene copies. Ten gene family members were identified in diploid barley, Hordeum vulgare, and in rye, Secale cereale, seven in Brachypodium distachyon, and six in rice, Oryza sativa. The analysis of gene expression was assayed in triticale and rye by RNA-Seq analysis of 454 sequence sets and members of the gene family were found to have diverse patterns of gene expression in the different tissues that were sampled in rye and in triticale, the hybrid hexaploid species derived from wheat and rye. Expression of the gene family in wheat and barley was also previously determined by microarray analysis, and changes in expression during development and in response to environmental stresses are presented.

Conclusions

The caleosin gene family had a greater degree of expansion in the Triticeae than in the other monocot species, Brachypodium and rice. The prior implication of one member of the gene family in the stress response and heterotrimeric G protein signaling, points to the potential importance of the caleosin gene family. The complexity of the family and differential expression in various tissues and under conditions of abiotic stress suggests the possibility that caleosin family members may play diverse roles in signaling and development that warrants further investigation.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-239) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Association of CHRDL1 Mutations and Variants with X-linked Megalocornea,Neuh?user Syndrome and Central Corneal Thickness

We describe novel CHRDL1 mutations in ten families with X-linked megalocornea (MGC1). Our mutation-positive cohort enabled us to establish ultrasonography as a reliable clinical diagnostic tool to distinguish between MGC1 and primary congenital glaucoma (PCG). Megalocornea is also a feature of Neuhäuser or megalocornea-mental retardation (MMR) syndrome, a rare condition of unknown etiology. In a male patient diagnosed with MMR, we performed targeted and whole exome sequencing (WES) and identified a novel missense mutation in CHRDL1 that accounts for his MGC1 phenotype but not his non-ocular features. This finding suggests that MMR syndrome, in some cases, may be di- or multigenic. MGC1 patients have reduced central corneal thickness (CCT); however no X-linked loci have been associated with CCT, possibly because the majority of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) overlook the X-chromosome. We therefore explored whether variants on the X-chromosome are associated with CCT. We found rs149956316, in intron 6 of CHRDL1, to be the most significantly associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (p = 6.81×10⁻⁶) on the X-chromosome. However, this association was not replicated in a smaller subset of whole genome sequenced samples. This study highlights the importance of including X-chromosome SNP data in GWAS to identify potential loci associated with quantitative traits or disease risk.     

Musculoskeletal chest wall pain

The musculoskeletal structures of the thoracic wall and the neck are a relatively common source of chest pain. Pain arising from these structures is often mistaken for angina pectoris, pleurisy or other serious disorders. In this article the clinical features, pathogenesis and management of the various musculoskeletal chest wall disorders are discussed. The more common causes are costochondritis, traumatic muscle pain, trauma to the chest wall, “fibrositis” syndrome, referred pain, psychogenic regional pain syndrome, and arthritis involving articulations of the sternum, ribs and thoracic spine. Careful analysis of the history, physical findings and results of investigation is essential for precise diagnosis and effective treatment.     

Production and characterisation of exopolysaccharide from Streptomyces carpaticus isolated from marine sediments in Egypt and its effect on breast and colon cell lines

Twenty streptomycete strains were isolated from marine sediment samples collected from Nabq area, Sharm El-Sheikh, Red Sea Coast, Egypt. Four of them produce exopolysaccharides (EPS) showing marked in vitro antitumor activities. Morphological and cultural characteristics of the most significant strain (No. 3) were shown. Moreover, the sequence of this strain showed similarity with Streptomyces carpaticus. The results reveal that EPS produced by Streptomyces carpaticus No. 3 had high cytotoxicity reaching 51.7% and 59.1% against human tumor cells of breast and colon lines respectively. A chemical analysis of EPS indicated that the composing monosaccharides were galactouronic acid, glucose, xylose, galactose, mannose, and fructose with relative ratio of 3:1:1:2:2:1 respectively, with an average molecular weight (Mw) 1.180 × 10⁵?g/mol and of a number average molecular weight (Mn) 1.052 × 10⁵?g/mol. Also the EPS contained uronic acid (0.5072%) and monosaccharide sulphates (21.753%).     

Mining of Egypt’s Red Sea invertebrates for potential bioactive producers

Objective

The objective of this work was to isolate bacteria from Red Sea invertebrates, determine their antimicrobial activity, and screen for the biosynthetic gene clusters [polyketides (PKs) and nonribosomal peptides (NRPs)] which could be involved in the production of bioactive secondary metabolites.

Result

Eleven different samples of marine invertebrates’ were collected from Egypt’s Red Sea (El-Tor-Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada) by scuba diving, and a total 80 isolates of the associated microorganisms were obtained from the cultivation on six different cultural medium. Seven isolates of them showed an antimicrobial activity against five pathogenic reference strains, while the most active antimicrobial agent was isolate number HFF-8 which was 99% identical to Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. HFF-8’s extract showed positive results against Gram negative bacteria, Gram positive bacteria and yeast. Moreover, the isolates gave positive bands when screened for the presence of PK synthase (PKS) I and II and NRP synthetase (NRPS) I and II biosynthetic genes, those biosynthetic fragments when cloned and sequenced were primitively predicted as biosynthetic fragments for kirromycin and leinamycin production by NaPDoS program with 56 and 55%, respectively.

Conclusion

The Red Sea can provide a sustainable solution to combat bacterial resistance. The contribution of this work is that B. amyloliquefaciens was isolated from Heteroxenia fuscescens, Red Sea, Egypt. Moreover, the bacterial extract showed a broad spectrum with a potent antimicrobial activity.

     

Pretreatment Predictors of Response to PegIFN-RBV Therapy in Egyptian Patients with HCV Genotype 4

BackgroundEgypt has the highest prevalence of a difficult to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV), genotype 4. Pretreatment factors could guide individualization of therapy which aids in treatment optimization and interleukin IL28B gene polymorphism has been shown to closely relate to HCV treatment response. Polymorphisms in genes encoding inhibitors of T-cell response, which have role in disease progression as Programmed Cell Death 1 (PD-1), and Cytotoxic T-Lymphocytes Antigen-4 (CTLA-4), could be candidate markers predicting treatment response.MethodsThis cohort study consisted of 200 chronic HCV genotype 4 infected patients treated with PegIFN α-2a and RBV in 2 hepatology centers. Genotyping of the polymorphisms in the IL28B gene region (rs12979860), PD1.3 (rs11568821) and CTLA-4 (rs231775) was performed on DNA collected from each patient using TaqMan^® genotyping assay. Groups were classified according to response into sustained virological responders (SVR), or non-responders (NR). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify potential markers, host pretreatment clinical and viral predictive factors including viral load, insulin resistance, and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) related to treatment response.ResultsOur results showed that in a multivariate analyses IL28B C/C genotype was the most significant predictor for SVR (OR = 10.86; p<0.0001) followed by AFP (OR = 0.915; p = 0.001) then CTLA-4/G genotypes (OR = 1.948; p = 0.022). However, PD-1.3/A genotypes and platelets count were significantly related to response in univariate analysis only (OR = 1.973; p = 0.023; OR = 1.007; p = 0.009 respectively).ConclusionIL28B SNP, AFP level, and CTLA-4 SNP could be used in conjunction to predict treatment response in HCV genotype 4 infected Egyptian patients.     

Augmentation of Intercoronary Anastomosis by Long-Term Administration of a Vasodilator Drug,Dipyridamole (Persantin)

A study was carried out to assess the ability of dipyridamole to promote intercoronary anastomotic channels in the dog. Nineteen normal dogs received 150-300 mg. dipyridamole daily for 73 to 162 days and were compared with 18 control animals. Employing pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal) anesthesia and positive pressure ventilation, the chest was opened and the circumflex coronary artery was tied and cannulated distal to the tie. The average retrograde flow in the treated group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.02). Acute administration of dipyridamole intravenously produced comparable reduction of blood pressure and retrograde flow in both groups of animals. Thus the long-term administration of dipyridamole appears capable of promoting the growth of intercoronary anastomotic pathways in some animals even in the absence of any known ischemic stimulus. This would appear to be the result of sustained vasodilator action.